Broadway Star And Rights Activist Gavin Creel Succumbs To Rare Cancer At 48
Gavin Creel, a Tony-winning Broadway icon known for his roles in Hello Dolly! and Hair, passed away Monday at his Manhattan home. The 48-year-old actor had been battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer called metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma since his diagnosis in July 2024.
“What a loss,” lamented Bette Midler, Creel’s co-star in Hello Dolly! on X. “I looked forward to working with him every single night. He was fantastic. I can’t believe he’s gone.”
Idina Menzel shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, calling Creel “an angel among the angels.”
Creel’s talent shone in both classic and contemporary Broadway productions. He earned Tony nominations for his roles in Hair and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and won an Olivier Award for his performance in The Book Of Mormon. In recent years, he starred as Dr Pomatter in Sara Bareilles’ musical Waitress on both Broadway and the West End.
Lin-Manuel Miranda fondly recalled Creel’s early role as King George III in the workshop of Hamilton, praising his “mind-blowing charisma and talent.”
Born and raised in Findlay, Ohio, Creel graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre And Dance in 1998. He made his Broadway debut opposite Sutton Foster in Thoroughly Modern Millie and went on to star in numerous productions, including La Cage Aux Folles, She Loves Me, and the 2022 revival of Sondheim’s Into The Woods.
Offstage, Creel was a passionate advocate for marriage equality, co-founding the nonprofit organisation Broadway Impact with friends Rory O’Malley and Jenny Kanelos.
Creel is survived by his parents, Nancy and James and his sisters Heather and Allyson Jo, and his partner, Alex Temple Ward.
